Another Courage
by MusicalSage
Summary: There are many kinds of courages in this world; to live, to die, to fight.  He thought there was only one kind of courage.  But..."He had courage, that's for sure...just not this kind."


**This was inspired by Aqua Timez's song, "Sen no Yoru wo Koete" (which roughly means "Passing Over the Thousandth Night").  
><strong>It's such a sweet song! It was used for the ending on the Bleach movie "Memories of Nobody" (which I've never seen; I just listen to Aqua Timez and happened to stumble upon this song).  
>You guys, of course, are welcome to look up the lyrics (and translation if needed) so that you get a feel of the song and what I was feeling when writing this.<br>Alrighty, enough chit-chat! Here is my next one-shot. Please enjoy! –Bows-  
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_I know it._

But is it possible to say such a thing?

This was a battle that he couldn't train for; this was a battle where he couldn't use his strengths and strategize what to do. Either he wins, or either he loses—no escapes, no cures, nothing.

And, gosh, it scared him a lot. And he was scared of almost nothing.

Well, he amended, he _was_ scared that one time when he thought monsters under the bed existed, before he realized he could take them out with his Keyblade if they did exist—

But what kind of tangent was _that_? Who was he amending that thought to, anyways?

See? This weird feeling does things to him—

But would he call them weird? No, he realized, he couldn't; he doesn't know why, but these feelings give him...some kind of happiness within him.

Did they scare him? Yes, of course they did (especially if she doesn't return them...).

But did he mind them? Again, not really; sometimes they would make him feel at peace.

...When did he become this sappy?

Anyways, not the point; he needs to get to the problem at hand.

He stopped thinking for a moment, and stared at her. This simply beautiful woman in front of him...

Could he tell Aqua his feelings? Would she return them? And if she did, what would become of them?

And if she didn't, what would become of them?

"What's wrong? Do you need help mixing that?" She asked, her eyes full of that kindness, that softness. He shook his head.

"No-nothing..." He saw her shrug, and went back to cutting some vegetables. He, on the other hand, returned to mixing the sauce that would be for tonight's dinner.

Was this what the Master meant when he said there's more than one kind of courage? He thought courage was courage was courage—but he was starting to see he was sorely mistaken, and that, in fact, there was more than one kind of courage.

And he had courage, that's for sure...

Just not this kind.

...What was he supposed to say? _Could_ he even say it?

He can't possibly say these feelings...how scary. Would she laugh at him? Pity him, perhaps, that he had feelings for her but she didn't?

_I know it._

And, now he's back at square one. Just aimlessly turning these thoughts in his head over and over again. He knows how he feels, and he knows who he wants to share these feelings with. Now, he just has to find a way to say them—if he even could.

But even if he did know what to say (and even if he did gather up the courage to, which he certainly did not have), now's not the right time—they were in the kitchen; he said that he would help Aqua make dinner today. Sure, they were alone, but that doesn't mean anything. Really, who confesses their love to someone in the _kitchen_? He couldn't think of another less romantic place.

(Okay, later he thought of other unromantic places. But at the time, he was nervous. Give him a break).

"Aqua...I'm done." She saw her beam at him. His breath hitched; that smile wasn't making him think well, which is exactly what he needed to do at this time.

"Thank you! You can start setting up the table; once I'm done taking care of the sauce, we'll be able to eat. Thanks for helping out again." Without waiting for an answer, she turned around and started putting on the finishing touches to the dinner. He set up the table at her request—of course he would pretty much listen to her and her only, right?—and called the Master and the other Keyblade wielder down for dinner.

Dinner was a fine affair; at least it kept his mind off of Aqua (for the most part). All four people—one Master, three pupils—chatted together about what they learned, what they hoped to do later, and other mindless chatter they enjoyed. When he was done, he thanked her for the dinner, washed his own dishes—hey, he had some manners—then headed upstairs to get ready for bed; they had a long day of training ahead of them tomorrow.

But he couldn't sleep. He was pacing in his bedroom, still wondering. _When_ is the perfect time to tell her? _How_ does he tell her? She read lots of romance books, and they staged them correctly. Heck, he even took guidance from the books that she read, but they were just _too_ perfect! He couldn't recreate any scenario! He wasn't the handsome valiant knight who swept the girl off her feet (Aqua didn't need that; she was stronger than those heroines); he wasn't the dashing duke who looked past class differences (which they didn't have. But even if they did, he would be the one praying that Aqua would look at him, not the other way around); he wasn't the rogue pirate who had his own ship. A ship! And a nice one at that! He didn't even own a toy boat for his baths...er, when he was younger, anyways.

So, he realized, he was stuck. What could he do? Does he just go up and tell her, right now, before she goes to bed? Before he goes insane for not telling her, never knowing whether she does reciprocate his feelings?

...Is that the only way to do it? No preamble, no presents or tokens, just go up to her and say "I love you"? _Can_ he do that? With no perfect scenario, nothing to help him to put him at ease...

_He knows this feeling, but can he say it?_

...

And yet, the more he thought about it, the more he realized that it was reasonable...that yes, that was okay. He didn't need to set up some "perfect scenario" to say "I love you." That phrase...that wonderful phrase and feeling wouldn't change no matter what scenario. It's a truth that nothing and no one can change (though he had to admit it would have been impressive if he were to say it on a nice pirate ship...).

However, he reasoned, he probably wouldn't be this scared if it weren't Aqua. Then again, she's the only person that would bring such joy to him in this world (and the other worlds as well).

He remembered at first denying that he liked his female companion...but no matter what, this feeling would never change. He could lie about it, sure, but in the end, his feelings were still there, as truthful and as strong as always.

He was fighting a losing battle from the very start. The only way to—hopefully—finish this is to tell her, to resolve this whole conflict.

He felt a surge of confidence. He'll tell her. He's afraid, yes, but he's even more afraid of what would happen if he never told her. He stopped pacing around his room, smiling that he made up his mind.

"Well, Master, I don't know if this was the courage you were talking about...but I'll tell her."

Where did such courage come from? It didn't matter; he had it now, and he might as well take advantage of it.

He strode across his room, and opened the door. He took a deep breath, with a determined nod, stepped out of his room and closed the door behind him.  
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**Yay, another one shot! Thank you for reading this. I know it was rather vague, but I had this idea, and I wanted to keep it vague (for the most part). Who did you think this sounded like more? I mean, there are really only two options, but I tried to add elements to kind of make it go both ways (if I succeeded, yay! If I didn't, just go ahead and tell me in a review or something). I did write it with a character in mind, which is why I ended up listing it as "Terra".**

**On a completely different note, I watched bits and pieces of Finding Nemo (I feel asleep here and there; I was spending the night at my friend's house, and we watched it rather late), when my friend told me that the "volcano" in the fish tank that Nemo ends up in is called "Mount Wannahockaloogie". I didn't realize what it sounded like until I heard it this time around. XD Ah, I love little Easter Eggs like that.**

**By the way, that line that mentions how this feeling is a truth that no one/nothing can change? All Aqua Timez; I'm not that poetic. But this is why I love their songs; such nice lyrics~!**

**Again, I hope you enjoyed this one-shot! See you in my next writings!**


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